At the top of the Agawa Canyon lookout — 350 stairs later!

I’ve been friends with Lis (Elisabeth to all who know her now) since Grade 10, when she came to me, somewhat shyly, and asked if I could introduce her to a boy I’d briefly dated at the end of grade 9. The boy was a blue-eyed athlete with blond curls, a quick wit, and a great smile — and I still remember the way he stood on the curb and bent down to kiss me after band practice (I played viola badly and he played some sort of wind instrument, probably well, though I’m not really sure). I was over the moon for him. He quickly moved on to another girl in our class (she the athlete I’d never be), the kiss long forgotten (at least by him).

Despite that, we had sort of remained friends, the boy and I, and so I did the introductions, and Lis and the boy “went around together,” as it was called back in the day, for a good two years, and stayed in touch for some years after, always a connection. Ironically, my husband Mike (who went to grade school with the boy) and I met him years later at a Half-Ironman triathlon where they were both competing. The boy remembered Mike. I don’t think he had any recollection of me…at least until I mentioned Lis. He definitely remembered her.

Voyageur Inn apple fritters.

The Soo Locks between Lake Huron and Lake Superior / U.S. and Canada

Fast forward to 2023. LIs and I have stayed friends over the years, closer in some years than in others as our lives went on very different paths. But last week she came to visit me in Northern Ontario, flying in from Toronto, where we both grew up all those years ago. And so I was able to introduce her to Lake Superior, Sault Ste. Marie, Goulais River and Algoma in all its fall splendour. We took a boat tour of Lake Huron/St. Mary’s River/Lake Superior and the Soo Locks. Rode the 4-hour train ride to the Agawa Canyon (and 4  hours back!), navigating our way up 350 stairs to the lookout, then a couple more kilometres to view waterfalls and more fall colours. Hiked the 6 km (3.8 mile) Edmund Fitzgerald Lookout Trail and wandered about Pancake Bay Provincial Park. Ate lunch at the Voyageur Inn and bought their famous apple fritters. Walked the Soo boardwalk and Bellevue Park. Ate Beavertails (a danish pastry-like Canadian donut thingie). Drank far too much wine. And reminisced.

It was fun being a tourist in my new home town, seeing things I might not otherwise have. Doing it with my oldest friend? A gift for which I will be forever grateful.

View from the Agawa Canyon Train

View from the train.